Customer Reviews of (Intel BX80619I73960X)

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ConsMassive cost, but worth it if you need a single socket powerhouse instead of a multi-socket CPU build.

SummaryWe have been running an entire studio on this Intel Core i7 3960X processor. With the decreasing quality and increasing expense of Macintosh OS X systems and the increasing quality of PC based studio software, we decided to try a Windows based machine for our next upgrade. Our Mac Pro (XEON machine, 2010 model), has been collecting dust ever since.

Why so much horsepower? It's a heavy production machine. We use the computer for rendering long 1080P Blu-Ray quality video in 2D and 3D, editing in fully rendered 1080p on three screens. The system has never crashed. On weekends we've tested this machine with the top games since it has an ASUS NVIDIA 590 video card. Incredible results with the same stability.

When this machine isn't editing video, it's serving as the core audio recording / editing / live video feed for our podcast. While that sort of thing doesn't put the computer under incredible stress, it's just as important as ever that the machine is stable and the processor stays relatively cool (We use the Corsair H100 liquid cooler), so the cooling solutions in the case don't have to spin up to full speed and get louder. Thanks to solid, cool running, we've never heard the 9 fans running in the case on a recording.

There's nothing like getting a blue screen of death when you're in the middle of a live webcast. That's never happened, We use Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Adobe Audition (sometimes), Pro Tools, Poser, Milkshape, and many other production programs.

If you're looking for some kick ass stability and performance, look no further. If it will run our main production machine under heavy load for days at a time, it'll survive your heaviest gaming binges and home rendering solutions.

Do I regret not buying XEON and server class hardware instead? No, but I would have bought the lower-priced 6 core i7 processor if it were available at the time of purchase. Here are the specs of our main studio machine:

ConsVERY EXPENSIVE! DOES NOT COME WITH STOCK COOLER. Limited selection of cooling solutions.

SummaryThis CPU as well as it's little bother, the 3930K, are brutes when it comes to computing muscle. Nothing in AMD's books can even remotely compete with this CPU or with the 3930K for that matter.The 3960X is an unlocked processor, meaning that the Clock is unlocked which can allow higher and more stable overclocks.Oh, and did I mention this bitch clocks nicely? Using a Noctua NH-D14, I was able to clock it as high as 5300mhz on the Rampage IV Extreme.As an example of the power, in 3DMark 11, I ran an i7 2600K at 5100mhz with a physics score of 11,300. With the 3960X at only 4500mhz, it was pulling in over 14,000 for a physics score. Both runs at 'Performance'.

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NCIX provides limited warranty for this product for 30 days after purchase.

Intel OEM processors are warrantied by NCIX for seven (7) days if not purchased with a system or motherboard. Intel Retail Boxed processors have a full 3 year warranty through Intel.